Chapter 2 - The Hidden Path
The strong smell of gasoline quickly filled the pitch-black cellar.
Harper began to cough violently against her mother’s chest.
Dominic pulled a small tactical flashlight from his pocket and clicked it on.
The narrow beam of light cut through the toxic fumes gathering in the air.
Gasoline was pouring steadily from a copper ventilation pipe near the ceiling.
Nathan was planning to burn them alive and blame it on a tragic electrical fire.
Mia struggled to stand up, her legs weak from three days of starvation.
“There is an old bootlegger tunnel behind the empty casks,” Mia gasped, pointing to the far wall.
Dominic did not ask how a simple maid knew about the estate's darkest secrets.
He grabbed the heavy iron crowbar Marcus had dropped when he was shot.
Dominic rushed to the massive oak wine casks and began prying the wooden slats apart.
The wood groaned and splintered under his immense strength.
A cold draft of fresh air suddenly pushed back the smell of the gasoline.
A narrow, dirt-walled tunnel was hidden directly behind the false wall.
Dominic picked Harper up in his left arm and grabbed Mia’s hand with his right.
They ducked into the dark passage just as a lit match was dropped through the vent behind them.
The cellar erupted in a massive, deafening explosion of orange flames.
The shockwave threw them forward into the dirt, ringing Dominic's ears with a high-pitched whine.
They crawled through the damp earth for what felt like miles.
Finally, Dominic kicked open a wooden hatch that led up into the estate's massive luxury garage.
He helped Mia and Harper climb out into the dimly lit room.
They thought they had finally escaped the nightmare.
Then the garage lights violently flickered and turned completely on.
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Claire Bennett was standing in front of Dominic’s armored Mercedes.
She was holding a silver revolver pointed directly at Harper’s head.
